I walked up the beach, on Long Island. It wasn't a sunny day, quite the opposite. It was comfortably cool and the sky was gray. The water was too cold to swim in, but it was nice to just look out to sea. I told them I needed the weekend away. You know, the Mount Olympus rebuilding. All the time I was too busy to think about what was the past, I was thinking of the future. But being here brought some sort of feeling. I didn't know if it was sadness or regret, or even de-ja-vu. It was just…strange. Then I saw someone. He was walking farther out, the only person on the lone beach besides me. As far as I could see, he had a dark blue button up and khaki shorts. And…black hair. I decided not to intrude on his moment, and sat behind a bush further up. As I sat, I remembered the feeling. It was about Percy. Percy Jackson. After the battle, we got too busy to see each other. I had liked him a lot, or loved him really. Did he ever like me back? He was always a little oblivious. I sighed. All this time before, I thought things would just click. But they didn't. The feeling, I missed Percy, and I was sad. I peeked up too see it the guy had left. He was right in front of the bush, but a little farther towards the water. The guy turned his head. Green eyes. A familiar face.

"Percy?" I called, startled. I got up quickly. He turned, his hands in his pockets and a look of excitement passed his face.

"Annabeth!" Percy strode up with long strides. He looked older, with a sprinkling of stubble on his face. And, I noticed, he was very handsome. I wanted to jump into his arms, but didn't. He reached out and hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as we walked down the beach.

"Remember, Olympus?" I was extremely surprised to see him here. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here. Remember?"

I couldn't believe it was Annabeth! She looked so beautiful since I saw her last. I had missed her a lot, not to mention always liking her. The impulse to reach out and push one of her blonde curls out of her face or hold her hand was painstakingly hard to repress. She smiled.

"Yeah."

"C'mon lets sit." We sat down among the sand. Annabeth was wearing a scarlet sweater and jeans. I couldn't help but watch her every move.

I looked out into the tide. I tried not to stare at him too much. Percy looked out too.

"I visited Poseidon's palace."

"And Tyson?" I asked tracing swirls into the sand.

"Oh yeah. He's doing great at the forages. And the temple rebuilding's going great. I hear great things from Olympus."

"The job is amazing." I said in reminisce. "I get to work with all the gods. Hermes is really nice, but Hera is pushy. And Aphrodite is picky." He laughed a little. I realized how much I really missed and loved that laugh. Then we heard the rumble. It started to drizzle. We stood.

"Come on. You can come visit my apartment." He said, looking up into the clouds. It started to rain herder. I nodded. Percy had an apartment? Wow. He grabbed the jacket that I didn't notice before was wrapped around his waist. Percy tossed it over our heads. And we hurried up to the parking lot. "You take the jacket, I'll get the car." He yelled over the roar of the storm and ran off towards a farther lot. I wrapped the jacket close to my head. It smelled good, like Percy, salt water, sand and laundry. I found myself inhaling deeply. He was here, and I was glad.

I slid into the Prius and slammed the door. I fumbled putting the keys into the lock. It was pouring, and Annabeth was still out there. I smiled. Who to thank for her being here? I drove through and pulled over at the curb. She pulled open the door and hopped in quickly.

"Where's Paul? And your mom?" She asked putting the soaked jacket in the back seat.

"Book convention in Boston. I haven't really gotten a chance to look into car buying." He drove to the main road and into Manhattan.

"The is Hera angry at me. Probably bribed Zeus into making this storm." Thunder rumbled, and we laughed. Then I worried about the apartment. I had left it sort of messy. I hoped she wouldn't mind. "I need some fresh clothes." She dug around in her pockets, pulled out a drachma and opened the window. Then she tossed it into the storm and it disappeared. "Ganymede!" Annabeth yelled into the rain. I pulled over so she could get a stop, brilliant idea, an Iris Message. A young, handsome boy appeared and squinted.

"Yo Annabeth!" he waved.

"Hey Ganymede. Is there anyway you could get my suite case in here." She rolled up the window until it was open just a little, so less rain would get in.

"No prob." He waved again and I noticed Annabeth's suite case in the back seat. "I'll see ya 'round."

"Bye!" she said, the message disappeared, and she rolled up the window all the remaining way. "Ganymede, the gods cup barer. I got him out of trouble for breaking a vase last week, se he's been nice."

Later, we pulled over at a hotel so I could change. Percy had been really nice. I had grabbed my whole suite case so I could pick some good clothing. Sitting on the toilet in the bathroom, I decided on a pink and gold fitted t-shirt, jeans, and an "OLYMPUS" sweatshirt, which I tied around my waist. "I'm set." I said into the mirror. "Scratch that." I grabbed my brush to comb the tangles out of my hair and put on some light clear lip-gloss. Now I was ready. Might as well dress to impress, and impress a very certain someone.

Annabeth looked radiant when she came out. She'd brushed her hair and put on some nice clothes.

"You look really nice." I said as she got in the car. I was surprised to see her thourly blushing.

"Thank you." She whispered. Annabeth, blushing?

Wow, Seaweed Brain had just complemented me. I blushed hard. He stared at me. "Eyes on the road!" I said, snapping. Then he was the one blushing, and then he pulled over. We must be at his apartment.

In the elevator, I wondered what Percy's house must look like. He was a bit of a slob. Then, Ding! Floor seven. We got out into a plain beige hallway. I followed, Percy who way whistling down a corridor and to Number 704. Just as he was about to put a key in the lock, ZAP! And the lights were out. I felt Percy's hand on mine.

"Just an outage." I heard the lock click open and the door swing. Some light was coming through the windows, so I could see okay. "You stay here, I'll get some candles." He left. I was always scared of power outages, since I was 8. I had tripped on the stairs and fractured my wrist. Just then, Percy came and handed me a turquoise candle and held a big green one for him.

"You look scared" he said, looking down, now being taller than me.

"I fractured my wrist when I was 8." I muttered, and gave a small smile. He grinned crookedly at me.

"You'll be fine." He said and gently took my hand. I followed him to the living room, with a brown futon and matching chair. "The living room." He said curtly. There were catalogs of cars and furniture scattered on a small coffee table in front of and TV on a stand. The kitchen had a small bar with 2 mismatched stools. The kitchen was littered with print out recipes and pots. "My attempt at cooking." He said smiling. "No skill developed." I laughed and he showed me the bathroom and bedroom, witch was both small and messy. We stood in the hall. "So yeah. That's the place." He finished putting his hand that had previously held mine on his waist. I walked towards the futon and sat. A small part of me was screaming "SIT NEXT TO ME KELP FOR BRAINS!" but I ignored it. "It's nice, very cozy. Reminds me of your Cabin." He smiled. "I have to go change." He said, setting down his candle. "Make yourself at home."